Flashlight



Cd. 17, 1939. w LENNAN I 2,176,084

FLASHLIGHT Filed March 14, 1936 lylllllllllll IIII'IIII I \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Ei\\ "f 2 INVENTOR.

W .M. L ENNA N.

, ATTORNE a Patented Oct. 17, 1939 msmmn'r William m. Lennan, Pasadena, Calif. Application March 14, 1936, Serial No. eases 12 Claims. (Ci. 240-1039) This invention relates to improvements in flashlights. V The general object of the invention is to provide an improved flashlight including batteries, 5 an electric light, and an electric control switch, all of which are enclosed in a. fluid proof housing. Another object of the invention is to provide a flashlight including novel means for mounting the electric light bulb socket.

A further object of the invention is to provide a flashlight including novel means for electrically connecting the electric light bulb socket to the batteries.

A still further object of the 33 provide a flashlight invention is to light bulb and the light reflector. Other objects and the advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following deg scription taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through my improved flashlight; v

Fig. 2 is a section of the flashlight taken on .25 line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a view of the rear end of the metal casing; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the flashlight cas- 80 ing removed from the rubber housing;

Fig.6 is a fragmentary, sectional view showing a flashlight with the exterior operated focusing means omitted; and

Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 1. 35 Referring to the drawing by reference characters I have indicated my improved flashlight generally at i8. As shown the flashlight l8 includes an outer water-tight or fluid proof housing i2 and an inner casing l3 removably asso- 740 ciated with said housing. As best shown in Fig. 5,

the casingand the parts secured thereto (hereinafter called the casing and designated by the reference character i3) comprise a unit independent of and preferably separable from said 48 housing. This casing includes a support comprising a semi-cylindrical shell ll which is open at both ends and is preferably made of metal, such as aluminum. At the rear of an annular cup-shaped disk I5 is provided which I. is preferably made of aluminum. The disk i5 may be secured to 4 I flngers l8 which are integral with the shell and extend through suitable apertures in the disk I! and are thenbent over to engage the outer face 88 of the disk. (See Fig. 4.)

including novel means for obtaining the correct focusbetween the electric 'of the disk. 28.

the shell I the shell II, by a plurality of 4| which may be secured'to At the front of the shell M an annular cupshaped aluminum disk. I1 is provided which may be secured to the shell It in the same manner as the disk l5.

Mounted on the disk I! I provide a flat spring a member I8 which is bent back upon itself to form two arm portions 19 and 28 with the arm is engaging the inner face of the disk ii. To secure the spring l8 to the disk' IIv I provide a stirrup member 2i which is positioned over the spring arm I! and includes lip members 22 which extend through an aperture 22 in the disk I! and engage the rear surface of. the disk. (See Figs. 1, 4, and 5.)

The front casing disk H has an aperture 2 therethrough; Positioned against the inner surface of the disk I1 I provide a disk 25, and positioned against the outer surface of the disk H I provide a disk 26. Both the disks 25 and 28 are made of an electrically insulating material such as hard rubber or flber. Positioned against the rear surface of the disk 25 I provide a metal plate 21 and positioned forward of the disk 28 I provide a metal reflector guard 28. The reflector guard 28 is frusto-conical or cup-shaped g5 and includes side walls 28 and a bottom wall 38 which is positioned against the forward surface The disks as and as, the plate 21, and the bottom wall 30 of the reflector guard are all apertured as indicated at 8| concentricwwith the aperture 24 in the disk i'l. Positioned in the apertures 3| and the aperture 24 I provide an externally threaded sleeve 32 which includes an enlarged head 38 and has a threaded aperture 28 u therethrough. The aperture 24 is of such a size that the disk I is free from engagement with thesleeve 82. As shown the sleeve head 28 en'- gages the inner surface of the plate 21 and a of the reflector guard. Positioned between the disk 28 and the bottom wall 88 of the reflector guard 28 I provide a contact ring 21 including a contact finger 38 which extends forwardly over the reflector guard. When the nut is tightened up the bottom wall 38 of the reflector guard, the contactring 81, the disk 28, the disk H, the disk 28, and the platefi'l are'flrmly clamped between the sleeve head 28 and the nut ll.

Mounted on the casing-shell II in line with the contact flnger 88 of the contact ring 81 I provide a switch device or mechanism indicated generally at 40. As shown the switch mechanism 48 includes an open-topped U-shaped metal box the shell I in any ll .nut 25 onthe sleeve 32 engages the bottom wall u desired manner and in the side walls has two pair of opposed apertures 02 and 43. (See Fig. 5.) j

Positioned in the box 4| I provide an operating member 44 and a latch member 45. As shown the operating member 44 is made of metal and includes spaced downwardly extending side walls (8, each of which intermediate the length of the operating member has an outstruck trunnion member 41 thereon which ispositioned in the corresponding aperture 42 in the box ll. The latch member 45, like. the operating member fis made of metal and includes spaced downwardly extending side walls 48 which have outstruck trunnion members 49 thereon positioned in the casing apertures 43."

The forward end 50 of the operating member 44 overlies the contact-finger I8 and is normally spaced thereabove as shown in Fig. 1. end II of the operating member 44 is normally positioned below the forward end 52 of the latch member. A flat spring 53 is positioned in the box ll below the members 44 and and includes upturned end portions, one of which engagesthe forward portion of the operating meniber 44 and the other of which engages the rearward portion of the latch member 45 and retains the operating and latch members in the previously described normal position. I

Positioned in the threaded aperture 34 of the sleeve 32 I provide a metal stud 54 which forms part of the lamp-supporting member. Positioned against the rear face of the stud 54 I provide a circular fiber disk which is toothed as The disk 55 and the unitary rotation by a are integral with the 55, the peripheral edge of indicated at It in Fig. 3.

plurality or key pins which stud and are positioned in suitable apertures in the disk 55, as indicated at 51. Opposite the disk 55 the stud has a threaded recess "therein in which the base of an electric light bulb 5! is adapted to be positioned.

Positioned in the recess 58 I provide a rubber washer 68. When the Fbulb I. is operatively positioned in the socket 58 the rubber washer 69 in the socket is compressed between .the bottom of the socket and the end of the bulb. When the washer 6g is thus compressed, pressure is applied to the end of the bulb which prevents the bulb i'rom accidentally unscrewing. The stud i4 further includes a concentric aperture 8| which at one end opens into the recess 88 and at the opposite and opens throughthe rear face of the stud. The stud N has a plurality of longitudinally ex- Positioned in the aperture" 1 provide a hollow flber sleeve 83 and in the bottom of the recess ll Iprovide a flber washer 64. The disk 55 is A cup-shaped reflector flts -over the outer edge of the reflector guard reflector 81 is removably supported by said guard. The transparent clo- The rear stud 54 are connected for 28 positioned in tioned in the housing I! 1| adJacent the open sure member 82 is pressed against the front edge of the reflector 61 by the flexible rubber housing and normally holdsthe reflector in place; the flange N of the reflector being clamped between the transparent closure "and the reflector guard 28. The electric light bulb II is positioned in the aperture 88 of the reflector I1. I

Mounted on the plate 21 adjacent each side of the toothed disk "'1 provide reciprocable actuating members or plungers such as bar members 10, both of which are slidably positioned in bearing portions 1i on the plate 21. Each of the bars 10 has a rearwardly extending flnger portion 12 thereon which is adapted to engage the teeth 58 of the disk 55. AdJacent the lower ends of the bars'lll I provide a cross bar 13 which is pivotally secured intermediate its length to the plate 21 as at 14. Adjacent each end the cross bar 13 is loosely connected to the bar members 10 as at 15..

When one of the bars 10 is moved upward the other bar 10 moves downward and flnger portion 12 of the upwardly moved bar 10 engages a tooth 58 of the disk 55 and rotates the disk I! in onedirection, a tooth at a time.

A spring member 16 may be mounted on the plate 21 to coact with the cross bar 13 to retain the bars 10 in a normal position and to return them to a normal position when they are released after being moved.

The fluid proof or water-tight housing 12 is made of a good grade of somewhat flexible rubber and includes a hollow cylindrical portion 11, one end of which is closed by integral wall 18. The opposite end of the housing I! is flared outwardly to form an enlarged end portion 19 which is open ended. Extending inward from the inner surface of the flared portion 19 I provide a plurality of spaced boss members 80. (See Figs. 1 and 2.) One end side of the housing I! includes an integral raised portion II in which a chamber 82 is provided which communicates with the interior cylindrical portion and the enlarged end portion. Opposite the raised portion ll the housing l2 includes an integral raised portion 83 in which a chamber 84 is provided which communicates with the interior of the cylindrical portion and the enlarged portion.

The casing I3 is positioned in the housing I! with the shell ll positioned in the cylindrical portion of the housing and the reflector guard the enlarged end portion 1|. member II is operatively posithe members 80 of the surface of the reflector When the casing housing engage the outer guard 28. (Bee F18. 2.)

The switch mechanism II is positioned in the chamber 82 of the raised portion Ii and the focusing mechanism is positioned in the chamber 84 of the raised portion 83.

In the upper surface the raised portion II includes a pair of portions 81, and I 8, respectively. The button portion 81 is located over the forward end of the operating member 44 of the switch 40 and the button 88 is located over the rear portion of the latch member 45. l

The under face of the enlarged portion 88 has a pair of recesses 88 therein, the bottom walls oi which are curved downwardly to form button portions 00. The button portions 88 are located one below each of the bar members 10.

In the interior surface of the enlarged portion end thereof 1 provide an 9,176,084 annular recess OI which is adapted to receive a which is simple in construction and highly emcloa'ure or lens member 82. The lens member I! is preferably made from a non-fracturable, fire-proof, transparent material, such as "Plastaele". In operation a standard set or battery of dr cells I, one pole of which is formed by the bottom of the metal casing and the other pole by acenter contact member 94, is positioned in the shell I 4 between the disk lli and the disk l1. The cells are positioned in the shell ll with the bottom thereof engaging the spring l8 and with the top center contact thereof engaging the rivet portion 55, as shown in Fig. l.

To light the bulb 59, inward pressure is applied to the housing by moderate pressure applied on the button member 81. When predetermined pressure is applied at 8,1 the end portion of the operating member 44 moves downward against the action of the spring 53 into engagement with the spring contact flnger 38, whereupon current flows from the center contact 94 of the battery 93 through the rivet to the center contact of the bulb -5l, thence through the filament and the base'thereof and through the stud 54 and the sleeve 32 to the contact member 38 and returns to the battery through the switch device in and the casing I3. v

when a greater pressure is applied to the button '1, the end 5| of the arm 44 raises'above the end 52 of the latch member 45 and then when the pressure is removed the latch member 45 retains the end SI of the arm dd raised, as shown in Fig. 5, thus retaining the end at of the operating arm 44 in engagement with the contact finger 38. To relmse the operating member 44 inward pressure is applied to the housing, thus moving the button portion 88 inward. When pressure is applied to move the button 88, the forward end 52 of the latch member 15 moves out from under the end Ii of the arm 44, whereupon the spring 53 moves'the operative member to its initial position,whereupon the end 58 of the operating member moves out ofengagement with the contact finger 3|.

To rotate the disk 55 when the casing i3 is operatively positioned in the housing 52, inward pressure is applied to'the housing by pressing one of the buttons 90 inward so that the inner surface of the housing engages the adjacent bar member 10, whereupon further inward movement of the button moves the bar inward and the flnger portion 12 thereof rotates the disk teeth '58 as previously described. As the disk 55 is rotated, it rotates the stud 54' and lamp 59 and, due'to the threaded connection 34 between the sleeve 32 and the stud 54, the lamp 59 is moved or shifted either toward or away from the reflector holder 28 and the reflector 61, depending on which way the disk 55 is rotated.

In Fig. 6 I have indicated a slightly modified form of the flashlight shown in Figures 1 to 5 and I, this embodiment being designated generally as I". This modified embodiment is similar in all respects to the flashlight shown in Figs; 1 to 5 and 7 except that the plate 21 is omitted and a washer llll substituted therefor andtl'ie housing 12' does not include the enlarged portion 83 and the chamber ll. -With the flashlight shown in Fig.8 itis necessary to remove the casing I3 from the housing I 2' in order to focus the bulb-in relation to the lens.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have provided a novel flashlight is v e I an eleetric'light bulb associated with said socket cient in use.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. In a flashlight, a casing; an internally threaded member fixed tosaid casing; a reflector 5 operatively connected to said member in flxed position relative thereto; an externally threaded lamp bulb support engaging the threads of said member; a. toothed member secured to said bulb support; and a pair of separately movable 1o actuating members mounted on said casing to engage said toothed member upon movement to rotate, the same and thereby move said bulb supporting means relatively to said reflector.

2. A flashlight as claimed in claim 1 provided 15 with a hollow flexible housing, the ends of said actuating membersppposite said toothed member terminating adjacent the interior of said flexible housing.

3. In a flashlight, a hollow housing having a 20 transparent member at one end thereof, means to movably support an electric'bulb socket in said housing, said means including relatively rotatable threaded coacting members, means to support a i; light reflector member in said housing, and means 25 including a pair of plungers operable from the exterior of the housing to rotate .one of said threaded coacting members and to thereby move said socket relative to said reflector.

4. A flashlight comprising a flexible watertight rubber housing having an open portion and having a transparent closure for said open portion and a casing member in said housing, said casing member comprising a unit independent of said housing and closure and including a support hav- :5 ing an electric bulb socket mounted thereon at one end and having a reflector guard thereon dis:- posed about said socket, a reflector within said guard, and means to engage a battery and mount--] ed on the support at the end thereof opposite said a; socket, a circuit closing member associated with said socket, and means mounted on said support to operate said circuit closing member.

5. In a flashlight, a hollow flexible housing open at one end and closed at the opposite end, a 5

' transparent member, said housing including means adjacent said open end to removably support said transparent member to close said open end, a casing in said housing, a reflector mounted in said housing, a threaded member secured in w fixed position on said casing, said reflector having an aperture therein, a second threaded memberengaging said first threaded member, an electric light bulb socket on said second threaded member,

and extending through said aperture, and means to turn said second threaded member to shift said socket relative to said'reflector.

- 6. In a flashlight, a hollowhousing open at one end and closed at the opposite end, a transparent member, said housing including-'means adjacent said open end to removably support said transparent member to close said open end, a casing in said housing, said casing'including a shell having a threaded member thereon, a bulb socket 55 mounted on said member, a toothed disk on said threaded member, and a pair of plungers movably mounted, said plungers including means totemsage the teeth of said toothed disk to rotate said toothed disk and shift said bulb socket.

'7. In a flashlight, a hollow flexible housing open at one end and closed at the opposite end, a transparent member, said housing including means adjacent said open end to removably support said transparent member to close said open end, a rigid g.

casing in said housing, said casing including a semi-cylindrical shell having a disk thereon at each end, a cup-shaped reflector guard mounted on said disk at one end of said shell, 9. reflector engaging said guard, a spring member mounted on said disk at the opposite end oi said shell, an internally threaded sleeve mounted on said flrst disk,'an externally threaded stud positioned'in said sleeve, a bulb socket, mounted on said stud, a toothed disk securedto said stud in said shell, a plate mounted on said flrst disk, a pair 01' plungers movably mounted on said plate, said plungers including means to engage the teeth 01' said toothed disk to rotate said toothed disk.

8. In a flashlight, a hollow flexible housing open at one end and closed at the opposite end, a trans- I mounted on and insulated from said stud, an elecparent member, said housing including means adjacent said open end to removably support said transparent member to close said open end, a casing in said housing, said casing including a semi-cylindrical shell having a disk thereon at each end, a cup-shaped reflector guard mounted on said disk at one end of said shell, an internally threaded sleeve mounted on said first disk, an externally threaded stud positioned in said sleeve, a cup-shaped light reflector removably supported by said guard, said reflector having an aperture therein, a toothed disk secured to said stud in said shell, a threaded recess in said stud with the open end thereof opposite said toothed disk, said threaded recess forming an electric light bulb socket, a center contact 'member for said socket tric light bulb positioned in said socket and extending through said reflector aperture, a plate member mounted on said flrst disk, 0; pair of plungers movably mounted on said plate, said plungers including means to engage the teeth of said toothed disk to rotate said toothed disk, a battery positioned in said shell, 9, contact finger electrically connected to said stud, means to conduct current irom said battery to said contact flnger and to said center contact, said means including a switch device, said casing being positioned in said housing with the open end 0! said light reflector towards said transparent member. 9. In a flashlight, a hollow flexible housing open-at one end and closed at the opposite end, a transparent member, said housing including means adjacent said open end to removably support said transparent member to close said open end, a rigid casing in said housing, said casing including a semi-cylindrical shell having a disk at one end, a cup-shaped reflector guard mounted on said disk at one end of said shell, an internally threaded sleeve mounted on said disk, an externally threaded stud positioned in said sleeve,

a cup-shaped light reflector removably supported by saidguard, said reflector having an aperture therein, a toothed disk secured to said stud in said shell. a threaded recess in said stud with the open end thereof opposite said toothed disk,

said threaded recess forming an electric light bulb socket to receive an electric light bulb, a center contact member for said socket, said center con tact member being mounted on and insulated from said stud, an electric light bulb positioned in said socket and extending through said reflector aperture, a plate mounted on said disk, a pair of plungers movably mounted on said plate, said plungers including means to engage the teeth of said toothed disk to rotate said toothed disk, a

battery positioned in saidshell, a contact flnger electrically connected to said stud, means to conone end, a casing within said housing, a reflector member and a lamp supporting member forwardly of said casing, one or said members being secured to said casing by a screw-threaded means and being provided with a toothed disc, and focusing means comprising a pair of plungers to engage said toothed disc to rotate the same whereby said reflector member and supporting member are moved relatively to each other.

11. A flashlight comprising a flexible watertight rubber housing having an open end, a transparent closure removably secured therein, a support disposed within said housing and removable therefrom, said support comprising a shell and a reflector guard, said shell and said guard both internally supporting said housing, and a switch mounted on saidsupport, said housing having a raised portion providing a chamber within which said switch is positioned, said raised portion having a resilient part opposite said switch adapted to be pressed inwardly to operate said switch.

12. A flashlight comprising a flexible watertight rubber housing means closed at one end, a metal casing disposed within said housing means,

a forward disk member carried by said casing, a lamp bulb socket operatively connected to said disk member, a substantially rrusto-conical reflec:

tor guard having its smaller end connected in flxed relation to said disk member, a reflector within said reflector guard and provided with an outer edge which is curved back upon itself to form a rearwardly extending flange which flts removably over the vfront edge of said-reflector guard, and water-tight means, including a transparent closure member removably secured adiacentthe end oi'said housing means opposite said closed end and pressing against said flange, to

hold said reflector in place-within saidr guard and to retain said reflector, guard and casing in assembled relation within said housing means.

WILLIAM M. LENNAN. 

